Cam Gone Bad
by Kenny Jay
Summary: Cam and Hunter's budding relationship seems to be going well. That is, until Lothor decides to abduct the green ranger for a new master plan.
1. Disclaimer

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Power Rangers.

The Power Rangers belong to Saban/Disney and I am using them without permission.

I do not make money out of this.

**Warnings:**

Male Slash. If this is not your cup of coffee, I suggest you redirect your browser now.

**Author's Note:**

The story was written some 5 years ago and was lost because of a very chaotic house renovation. It miraculously showed up last August of 2010 and I have been editing and reediting it since then. This was originally posted to get feedbacks on how to improve my writing, but since no one has bothered to critique on my writing style so far, I now post it to keep my sanity in check. The first five chapters on my previous acount cannot be seen anymore, so I'm posting all of the chapters here. Be sure to give a review on your way out.

Much love,

Kenny


	2. Abducted

Chapter 1

Abducted

By Kenny

* * *

Cam and Hunter were sitting under a tree in Blue Bay Harbor Park, enjoying the postcard-worthy view of the setting sun. The place had begun to quiet down a while ago.

They had spent the day walking, talking, making out, eating ice cream, playing Frisbee, and well, making out some more.

"I enjoyed our date," Hunter said as he hugged Cam closer to his body.

"I enjoyed it, too," the raven haired man replied; a wide smile on his face.

He was happy at how things have worked out between the two of them. The others still didn't know, especially his father. But that can wait. As long as he has a certain thunder ninja by his side, Cam knows everything will be okay.

Hunter put his hand into Cam's. "So what do you want to do now Mr. Samurai?" he said teasingly.

Cam sighed. "As much as I want to stay here longer, I have to go to Tori's. She needs help with her exams tomorrow."

Hunter laughed. "And since when did tutoring become a part of your responsibilities?"

Cam laughed too, "Since Lothor discovered the word proactive a few days ago. I just want to lend a hand. Saving the world does take its toll on your academics, you know." Cam stood up and helped Hunter to his feet. They grabbed their things, walked over to a garbage bin to chuck in their trash, and then went over to Hunter's truck.

"Do you want a ride to Tori's?'

Cam shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. Besides, the Hanson's residence is only a few minutes away from here."

Hunter pulled Cam close to him, "Alright. How about a long goodbye kiss, then?"

Cam glanced around to see if anyone was watching.

"No one's watching Mr. Paranoid," the taller man said.

Cam smiled at his boyfriend and leaned in, his lips meeting Hunter's. Their arms went around each other and pressing their bodies closer.

"See you tomorrow then," Cam said as he pulled away from the kiss.

"See you tomorrow." Hunter winked at him and then went inside his truck and started the engine.

Ten minutes later, Cam was walking down the street with a hop in his step and a big smile on his face. _'So far, the best date we've had.'_ Cam thought to himself. He turned the corner; Tori's house was only a few seconds away.

As soon as Cam turned to walk to the front entrance of the house, he felt something grab at him. Hands pulled his arms behind his back and another covered his mouth. He tried to struggle very much unsuccessfully.

At that moment, Tori had looked out of her window, checking to see if Cam was already there, but instead she watched in horror as Zurgane and some Kelzacs disappear with her friend.

"Cam!" Tori called as she rushed outside, but she was too late.

There was no sign of Cam anywhere. She looked around helplessly, hoping to find some clue about Cam's whereabouts. There were none. Panic suddenly washed through her insides.

She pressed her communicator and called her teammates, "Guys, we have a serious problem."

* * *

"Uncle, Kapri and I have just thought about a really good plan to destroy the rangers," Marah said as she and Kapri entered the room giddily.

Lothor rolled his eyes, _'Here we go again.'_ the evil space ninja mused to himself. His nieces have a knack at devising diabolical plots that, unfortunately, later turn into pathetic denouements.

"What, pray tell, do you intend to do this time around?" Lothor said in the best disinterested tone he could muster.

"Well we were thinking we could..." Kapri began, but before she could discuss in detail, Zurgane entered the throne room with a bound, blindfolded, and gagged green ranger on his shoulders. He stopped in front of Lothor and the two girls, and dropped Cam on the ground with a thud. The samurai groaned through his gag.

"I have captured the green ranger as you ordered, Sir."

"Finally! Someone has done something right for the first time." Lothor said, throwing a sideway glance to his nieces. Marah and Kapri just shrugged their shoulders in ignorance.

"Very well done Zurgane." Lothor said turning his attention back to his general.

"What do you plan to do now, Sir?"

"You will know soon enough." Lothor smirked; malevolence visible in his eyes.


	3. Possessed

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry that this chapter took a while. I have to thank the phone company and the elusive inspiration for this delay. And this is a new chapter by the way. Literally new. I've changed everything from the original I've written because of too many inconsistencies. So the next chapter will take a while. If you do find any holes in here just give me a message. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 2

Possessed

By Kenny

* * *

"Uh… Uncle what exactly is our plan with him?" Kapri asked, pointing at their bound and gagged captive lying on the floor.

'_Good question.'_ Cam thought. He was wondering the very same thing since he arrived in Lothor's ship. _'And looks like I'll be finding it out soon, whether I like it or not.'_

"You'll see. Where's my P.A.M. by the way?"

"Here Uncle." Marah said as she handed it over to Lothor.

The evil space ninja took the device, pushed a few buttons and a monster started to materialize at the center of the room.

"Perfect! Just the monster I need."

"Espiritista at your service," the monster greeted, "How can I be of service, Lothor?"

Esperitista was wearing a black cloak and his mouth was the only his only visible feature. He was completely covered from the head down to his feet.

Marah and Kapri went closer to the monster, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Uncle, are you sure that he is… capable of anything?" Kapri asked.

"Yeah he doesn't look scary to me. Like a monster dressed in a black robe is so original, Uncle. We already have Motodrone for that. With the robe thingy, I mean." Marah opined.

"I assure you girls that this monster is more capable of doing anything than the two of you combined." Lothor growled.

"Okay." the two girls chorused, clearly still not convinced.

"So what do you do, anyway?" Marah asked the monster challengingly.

Espiritista turned to face her and the corners of his lips turned up mysteriously.

"Oh, it's quite simple. Just this." He said and then a dark from of energy started to emanate from him and his body began to disintegrate into tiny black pieces suspended on air.

Marah would've scoffed at the monster and told him that his trick was a common feat seen around the universe, but before she could even utter a word, the black particles started attacking her – forcing their way inside her mouth, ears, nose and eyes; viciously consuming every part of her body, her being.

Her screams and plea for help resounded in the whole room.

Lothor seemed to be very delighted at the gruesome act happening in his throne room.

Kapri on the other hand, felt the opposite as she took a step backward. She was clearly dumbfounded at the terrifying scene unfolding before her eyes.

Cam's body tensed the moment he heard Marah's screams. It brought a sickening chill down his spine. He was now beyond worried and scared about what might just happen to him.

After all of the particles were completely inside her body, Marah turned to Kapri and smirked darkly, "So how's this for being _'capable of anything'_?"

* * *

"And that's what happened." Tori said, as she finished recounting what had happened to Cam.

They were huddled around the small table. Tori can see the worry and apprehension etched all over her friends' faces. They were all worried about Cam.

"So there was no clue at all that could help us?"Shane clarified.

"None."

"Hey CyberCam," Shane turned to Cam's virtual replica who was sitting at the main computer, "Any sign of real Cam?"

"Nothing yet Shane dude. I'm still searching for my twin bro's morpher energy signals."

"Great," Shane muttered.

"So what do we do now? I'm totally freaked, man." Dustin asked, scratching his head and eyeing everyone expectantly.

"I don't know? We don't have any lead to help us go further." Shane stated dejectedly.

"If only Sensei was here…" Tori trailed off.

"Yeah, talk about a perfect timing for another ninja meditation retreat." Dustin added.

"Well obviously the only thing we can do now is to wait and hope that CyberCam over there gets a lock on Cam's morpher. And until then there's not much we can do." Blake said to the group.

"Yeah but this really sucks, dude. Not being able to do anything." Shane said.

Ninja Ops fell into silence and only the incessant typing of CyberCam could be heard.

_'Blake's right, the only thing we could do now is to wait. But sitting and sulking here is not exactly a very good idea.'_ Tori thought.

"Come on guys. Let's go to the kitchenette. I'll cook up something for all of us." she offered as she stood up and walked to the direction of the kitchenette.

Realizing what Tori was trying to do, all of them stood up and followed the blue ranger.

Except Hunter.

"You go ahead. I'll just go out. I need to catch some fresh air." The blonde teenager said, and he was out of Ninja Ops instantly.

"Dude, is something wrong with Hunter?" Dustin asked the younger Bradley, "He seems kinda off since we came here."

"Yeah, like something's bothering him." Tori added.

"I'm just as puzzled as you guys. But I sure want to find out now." Blake said as he started for the stairs. "And leave some food for me. I wanna have a taste of what Tori's gonna cook." Blake said.

"You sure that's the only thing you wanna taste?" Dustin teased, and Tori, who started to blush, smacked him in the head really hard.

Blake's cheeks turned a deep shade of red and hastily went out of Ninja Ops to follow his brother.

* * *

Blake spotted Hunter by the pond, skipping stones across the water's surface.

"Hey bro." He called.

The blonde ninja looked at him, nodded, acknowledging his presence and went back to what he was doing. Blake stood beside his older brother.

"Wanna talk?" the navy ranger began.

Hunter shook his head.

"Something's bugging you, I can tell. What is it?"

Hunter hesitated. Blake didn't know. He didn't know that he and Cam were together.

It wasn't his intention to keep it from him. They never kept anything from each other. It's just that, he and Cam wanted to keep it a secret for now. They weren't sure how everyone would take it, especially Blake and Sensei.

And now the question.

Hunter didn't know how to answer that without spilling his guts to Blake.

"It's Cam isn't it?"

"Why'd you think it's Cam?" Hunter asked as casually as he can, still not looking at his brother.

"C'mon bro, I'm not that dumb… I know about you… and Cam."

Hunter's body tensed as he looked at his brother, unable to respond to what Blake had just confessed.

"Hunter I'm your brother I know you from the inside and out. Though it did take me a while to figure it out." A smile was now visible on the younger man's face.

For lack of any appropriate response, Hunter just asked, "You're not angry?"

"I am, I mean, I was. Well I still am… a little. I couldn't believe that you'd keep something like that from me. But I understand now. And it doesn't matter who it is, if that's what's you're worried about. As long as you're happy bro, I'm totally fine with it."

"Thanks." Hunter let out a breathe he wasn't aware he was holding and smiled faintly.

"But you still haven't answered my question. What's wrong?"

"It's my fault Blake."

"What's your faul-?… You're kidding right? You can't blame yourself for what happened."

"Yeah. It's not like you were the one who was out on a date with Cam earlier that could've prevented all this. I shouldn't have let him go to Tori's by himself."

"Hunter, none of us wanted this to happen. Besides, you can't be with him 24 hours a day, seven days a week all the time. And don't you think Cam's bagging on you to save him instead of sulking in here and mulling over 'what-could've beens'?"

It was seldom that they found themselves in a role-reversal moment like this - Hunter being, all of a sudden, the younger brother and Blake the wise and guiding older brother. Hunter grinned. At times like this he was more thankful than ever to have Blake. _'He's right. Thinking about how things might have been won't help Cam.'_

"Since when did you become so smart, anyway?"

"Funny." Blake muttered.

* * *

"That wasn't funny at all!" Kapri shrieked, "Can I just say how gross that was? Couldn't you have pushed yourself inside Marah's body in a… well… more… un-grossly way?"

Espiritista, who was now inside Marah's body, just laughed at her.

"Okay. Now that we've settled he can do something, let's go over our plan shall we?"Lothor said.

"Very well." Espiritista replied.

"But first I want you to posses the green ranger over there."

_'Possess me? What the-'_ Whatever calm and collected hold Cam had about the situation was immediately thrown out of the window. He was now terrified more than ever.

"Interesting." Espiritista said as he approached and kneeled in front of the tied and gagged figure on the floor. He pulled Cam up and removed the ranger's blindfold and gag.

"Marah?" Cam asked, a bit confused once he can see clearly again.

"Not quite."

Cam stared in disbelief as black particles started to come out of Marah's face and body. The samurai moved against the ropes, trying to break himself free.

_'This is definitely not good.'_ Cam thought.

Without warning, the particles moved toward him and forced their way inside his body the way it did with Marah's.

He screamed as loud as his lungs would allow him to. The pain that the invasion brought was unbearable. It felt like he was being skinned alive.

_'Hunter... Hunter, help me.'_

Calling his boyfriend's name and calling for help was the last thing Cam remembered before the blackness consumed him completely.


	4. Deceived

Author's Note:

Life in the Emergency Department got busier than usual. Thus the delay. Anyway, Hope you enjoy this one. Reviews are always appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 3

Deceived

By Kenny

* * *

Marah was surprised that she was holding a tied green ranger in front of her.

The last thing she remembered was being attacked by Espiritista and then… nothing.

"Okay, can someone tell me why the world all of a sudden blacked out? And why am I holding him?" Marah asked as she stood up and backed away from the power ranger.

"Now there's a genius you don't see every day." Cam muttered as the kelzaks started to take off his ropes.

"Hey, and why are they untying him?"Marah pointed out.

"You were so less annoying when Espiritista was inside your body." Kapri commented as she stood beside her sister.

"Excuse me, did you just say he was inside my body?" Marah asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah." Kapri replied with a mischievous grin.

"Where is he anyway? If I see him, I'll surely-"

"Will you two keep your mouths shut? I am tempted right now to zap the both of you to a faraway galaxy."

"Sorry Uncle." The two said at the same time.

"Now Espiritista, let's discuss about my plan, shall we?." Lothor said as he turned his attention to Cam.

"Discuss away." Cam retorted.

"Did you just call him Espirtista?" Marah asked, thoroughly bewildered. Lothor just shot her a you're-in-danger-later-if-you-don't-shut up-look as a response.

* * *

Zurgane, Choobo, and Cam landed at the forest.

"You do remember the plan right?" Cam asked Lothor's henchmen.

"Of course we do." Choobo replied.

"Good. Now tie me before the other rangers get here. And can you please put up a decent fight later? Lothor tells me how good your track records are when it comes to the rangers."

Zurgane just grumbled as he tied Cam to a nearby tree.

* * *

The alarms at Ninja Ops went off.

Tori, Shane and Dustin ran from the kitchenette and crowded behind CyberCam.

"What's up?" Shane asked.

"Our sensors finally picked up my twin bro's morpher signal." Cam's virtual replica told them as he typed a few commands on the keyboard.

"There." CyberCam said as a tied, gagged, and blindfolded Cam with Zurgane and Choobo appeared on the screen, "They're at the southern part of the forest, peeps."

"Good. Tori, call Hunter and Blake. We're finally kicking some butts." Shane instructed.

* * *

The five rangers teleported to the park. Zurgane and Choobo were standing there waiting for their arrival.

Hunter saw Cam laid on the ground beside Zurgane. He was trying to move out of his ropes, unsuccessfully. The thunder ninja felt relief for a moment that his boyfriend was still alive but anger started to replace that relief. His blood was now literally and figuratively boiling.

"Give us Cam right now!" Hunter demanded.

Zurgane just laughed at him.

"I think it is obvious that you are in no position to give us orders rangers. Or are you forgetting we have your friend over here."Lothor's general said as he pointed his sword near Cam's chest.

"What do you want?" Shane asked.

"Your lives, of course."

"Dream on."

"You want it the hard way do you? Kelzaks!"

Lothor's minions in black appeared at the scene and began to attack the them.

"Let's do this." Shane growled.

"Right." the other rangers said in unison.

Blake, Tori and Dustin spread themselves around the area, taking care of the kelzaks. Shane charged in to a startled Choobo, who obviously didn't have any intentions of joining the rumble. Hunter on the other hand lunged himself at Zurgane, making sure that Cam was out of the enemy's reach.

The fight went as the rangers had expected. A few good punches and kicks were all it took to beat the kelzaks and make Zurgane and Choobo retreat back to their hide out.

All of them ran to where Cam was. They ripped off the ropes tied in Cam's arms and legs, and removed his blindfold and gag.

Hunter couldn't remember how relieved he felt in his whole life until that moment. It was as if a ten-wheeler truck was lifted off his shoulders. He would've hugged Cam tightly and kissed him senseless right then and there if only their friends were not around. That could wait. As long as Cam was fine, tat was what's important.

"Come on, let's get you back home." Shane said, and all six of them teleported back to Ninja Ops.

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hunter asked for the tenth time now. He was sitting beside Cam, cleaning and bandaging the cuts, bruises and wounds the green ranger got from his ordeal earlier today.

_'What is with this human and he can't leave me be?'_ Espiritista thought.

"Do I look like I'm not sure?" Cam replied in an annoyed tone.

"Gee. If you don't need help just say so." The blonde ninja said as he finished putting a bandage on the samurai's arm.

_'Guilt. What an abominable concept.'_

"Thanks Hunter." Cam smiled warmly as he could.

Hunter smiled back at Cam and he gathered the medical supplies and returned it to the cabinet.

"Cam, are you sure you'll be fine?" Tori asked.

_'Are these humans blind or just plain stupid? Can't they see that their beloved green ranger has still his limbs in one piece?'_

"Yes Tori. Thanks for your concern."

"Okay then. We'll see you tomorrow at ninja training." Tori went closer to the samurai and pecked him on the cheek.

"Bye dude." Dustin chimed in.

"Yeah, get some rest, man." Blake added, while Shane squeezed Cam's shoulder.

All four of them headed for the stairs and went outside, leaving Hunter the only one left inside Ops.

_'What is wrong with him? Can't he take a cue and leave?'_

"Is there anything you still need here Hunter?" the raven-haired man asked.

Hunter glanced at the entrance of Ninja Ops. Once convinced they were truly alone, he moved closer to Cam in a swift motion. He put his arms around Cam's waist and enveloped his boyfriend in a bone crushing hug and kissed him gently and passionately on the lips.

_'What the-?'_

Hunter withdrew and looked at his boyfriend's eyes. He can't identify what it was, but there was this tugging feeling in his chest that something was different with Cam. He let it off, deciding that Cam was just tired after the day's events.

"Goodbye. See you tomorrow."

And the crimson ranger planted another kiss on Cam's lips before heading out of the holographic portal.

Cam watched Hunter go out with a smirk on his face.

_'What can I say? Things had just gotten more interesting. Very, very interesting.'_ Espiritista thought to himself.

He sat in front of the main computer and began typing on the keyboard.


	5. Bedded

**Author's Note:**

The wonders of a day off. I get to be productive. Hope you enjoy this. Don't forget to comment before leaving_._

_

* * *

_

Chapter 4

Bedded

By Kenny

* * *

He tried closing his eyes again. But after a few minutes, it was clear that sleep has gone off somewhere else. This was something he hated about his sleeping patterns. Once he wakes up, more often than not, there's no going back to dreamland.

Hunter rolled to his side and looked at his alarm clock – it read 03:00AM. "Great." The blonde ninja grumbled as he rolled back to his other side.

He can't sleep. And now he can't help but think of Cam.

A faint smile started to form on Hunter's lips. It never crossed his mind that he'd be having a sleepless night, like this one, just thinking about someone. Let alone if that someone was a certain Cameron Watanabe.

The smile faded as his memory pulled him back to Ninja Ops earlier that night, or rather last night, as Hunter remembered what time it was.

Something was wrong with Cam. He could clearly feel it. He couldn't explain why or how. He just knew. And he was certain of it.

Cam's eyes were different. And not to mention the surprise Hunter saw behind those almond eyes after the kiss. As if it was just the first time they had ever done that. And that didn't make sense because they have definitely kissed more than a dozen of times.

_'He's just tired.'_ Hunter thought. But he somehow couldn't convince himself to believe that however much he wanted to.

He got up, got dressed, slipped on his sneakers, and went out of their apartment. There was no point lying in his bed if he wasn't going to sleep anyway.

* * *

The instructions were very clear - get the rangers' morphers, configure the zords in a way that it would explode once combined and put Ninja Ops on self-destruct.

Lothor's orders seemed simple to carry out, especially when it came to manipulating the zord's technology. After all, Zoloft, the planet where Espiritista came from, was more technologically advanced compared to Earth.

But the zords' machinery was not as easy to understand as he had found out.

The zords were built in a very different way. The programming and specifications were more complex from any machine, robot, or assault vehicle he has seen thus far in other galaxies. Furthermore, the system and structure of the zords were built uniquely from one another, making matters even worse.

So instead of breezing through the task, the alien monster found himself doing a lot of assessing and studying first before he could actually go about configuring the zord's systems.

He'd been at it for almost 6 hours now. He was making very slow progress and he did not like it.

* * *

Cam was so engrossed with what he was doing that he didn't notice the silent footsteps coming near him. He was startled when strong arms were suddenly wrapped around his chest.

"Didn't know I could still surprise you like that." Hunter whispered in his ears.

_'Oh no, not this human again.'_

"Hunter?" Cam said as he turned around to look at his boyfriend.

"Yeah?" Hunter said, smiling warmly at Cam.

"What are you doing here?" Cam asked, crossing his arms.

The thunder ninja just gave him a sheepish grin and a shrug of the shoulders.

"It's 4 in the morning. Shouldn't you be on bed right now and sleeping?"

"Well, I can't sleep."

_'Great. How sweet of him to disturb his lover at an inhumane hour. And not to mention the delay he is causing to my mission.' _Espiritista thought angrily.

Cam raised an eyebrow in response.

"And I… missed you. And hey, aren't you supposed to be the one resting right now?"

"I don't need rest. There's too much to do." The green ranger said, as he turned back to his computer.

_'He really does have to be reminded of the fine line between work and rest.'_ Hunter thought.

"Stand up." Hunter commanded out of the blue.

"What?"

"Stand up."

_'Moons of Praxil! What does this human want from me?'_

Cam stood up and faced Hunter, glaring at his boyfriend. The taller man just grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him.

"Hunter, where are we going?"

"To your room."

"No, I still have work to do." The raven-haired man said as he stopped walking and yanked his arms away from the other man's grip.

"Suit yourself." Hunter said, and in a swift motion, he carried Cam off the floor. Hunter continued his way towards the room, with Cam in his arms.

"Hunter come on, put me down." Cam demanded.

"Unfortunately that part is not up for further discussion."

Once they were inside, Hunter lay his boyfriend down on the bed and he began taking off Cam's shoes. Defeated, Cam stopped struggling and allowed his boyfriend to continue to undress him and prepare him for bed.

Hunter draped Cam's clothes over a chair then went on to undress himself. When he was down to boxer shorts and undershirt, he climbed into the bed, pulling Cam's green comforter over them both.

"Now we can sleep." Hunter said as he planted a quick kiss on Cam's lips and went on to an easy and deep slumber.

As much as Espiritista wanted to kill the blonde ninja at that moment, he couldn't risk arousing suspicion until he has finished what he came for. He took one final look at Hunter before closing his own eyes.

_'Consider yourself lucky, crimson ranger. Consider yourself lucky.'_


	6. Doubted

**Author's Note:**

Sorry that this chapter took a while. I was not satisfied with this chapter when I first wrote it so I had to leave it for a couple of days before going back to re-edit it. I'm satisfied with it now and I hope you will be too. Review please? It would mean a lot to hear what you have to say to this story.

* * *

Chapter 5

Doubted

By Kenny

* * *

Hunter looked out of the window. The scene outside was like a gorgeous painting that have come to life - the sun's rays were shining brightly; the grass was a lot greener from the last time he could remember; and birds were soaring high up in the sky. It was truly a beautiful Monday afternoon on Blue Bay Harbor. But not for him.

However much the day was screaming at him to lighten up, he just couldn't bring himself to be in a cheerful mood. And he couldn't care less what Mr. Mitchell, his English teacher, was droning about in front of the class. The only thing he cared right now was Cam – and what was wrong with him.

Since getting him back from his abductors last night, the green ranger had been acting a little bit strange. Well at least for Hunter he seemed strange.

The thunder ninja initially dismissed it; reasoned that Cam was just tired and he was probably imagining things. But the gut feeling that something was not right was still there and he couldn't explain why.

Hunter tried listening to the lecture but was rather unsuccessful. Mr. Mitchell was discussing about a Shakespeare sonnet or something of the sort.

_'No wonder I can't seem to be in a better mood. Seriously dude, Shakespeare?' _Hunter rolled his eyes. He looked out of the window again, trying to recall what happened this morning.

* * *

Hunter rolled to his side and was surprised when his arm met an empty bed. He opened his eyes and sat upright. Cam was nowhere in sight. He went out of the room and headed towards the den. And there, sitting in front of the main computer was the person he was looking for.

"Have I ever told you that you're a crazed workaholic?" Hunter asked, propping his hips against the desk, "Watcha doin'?"

Cam looked up at him with a scrutinizing look and turned his attention back to the monitor.

"Do you really wanna know?"

Hunter looked at the screen full of diagrams and all that crap.

"Uh… I'd have to say... No." He replied.

Cam snorted.

"What time is it by the way?" Hunter asked, walking towards the kitchenette.

"8AM." Cam answered.

"What?" Hunter yelled as he stopped and turned to face Cam.

"You're kidding right?"

"No." Cam stated bluntly.

Hunter grumbled something incomprehensible as he stomped the other way towards Cam's bedroom. When he got back, he was already dressed and was finishing tying his shoes.

"Why didn't you wake me up? You know I have a class by 8:30." Hunter said.

"Sorry." Cam said his eyes still fixed in front of the screen.

"Anyway, I gotta go. I'll see you later at training."

"Yeah. Sure."

"And after training." Hunter added.

Cam turned in his chair and looked at his boyfriend with a puzzled expression.

"The movies? Don't tell me you forgot. C'mon Cam, you already agreed last week to go with me."

Cam's face flickered slightly, and before Hunter could identify what it was, it vanished instantly.

"Oh… Right. The movies. Of course I didn't forget." Cam replied as convincingly as he can but Hunter already saw through it.

He asked it yesterday. A lot. And his boyfriend was certainly annoyed by it. But he had to ask it again. Not waking him up knowing he had a class early this morning, forgetting the movie date – that was so un-Cam-like. And nothing ever slipped off Cam's mind. His suspicion that something was amiss has definitely piqued.

"Are you sure you're okay Cam?" Hunter asked, eyeing the samurai worriedly.

Again, there was that flicker of something Hunter couldn't recognize before Cam's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Since you came back you've been kinda… well… off." He continued.

"Off?"

"I mean you seem not your usual self."

"Just have a lot of things on my mind, I guess." Cam sighed.

Hunter nodded. He seriously considered prying a little bit more and squeezing out some real answers, but he knew he had to go. That is, if he didn't want his teacher prying and getting some answers out of him why he was late again for class. Oversleeping with your boyfriend was not exactly what you'd call a valid excuse for tardiness.

"Well you should stop thinking, at least for a while, and get some rest. You're starting to get those nasty bags under your eyes." Cam nodded silently.

"I'll see you later then." Hunter said.

The blonde ninja inched closer, cupping the other man's cheeks with his hands. Their lips met in a soft kiss. Even the kiss felt… different for Hunter.

"Later." Cam said when they broke apart. And the samurai turned back to his console and continued whatever he was doing.

* * *

Hunter was pulled out from his thoughts by the familiar and noisy sound of the dismissal bell.

"Finally." Hunter muttered. He packed all of his belongings in his backpack and went outside of the classroom quickly.

Still inside him was that gut feeling that something was wrong with Cam and… that something was about to seriously go wrong.

* * *

She never did like searching for scrolls.

It was their last ninja training for the day, and here she was, walking through the forest doing the very thing she detested.

Training such as this, reminded Tori of the time when she, Shane and Dustin were tasked by Sensei to look for a scroll in a simulated desert. She absently touched her right wrist and smiled faintly as she remembered how difficult and not to mention, how pathetic and funny that task turned out to be. After that, scouring forests, desserts and other computer-generated environments in search of scrolls came down to the bottom of her list of enjoyable ninja trainings.

She was just thankful that there were no more shackles attached to her wrist this time around. And it was nice that Cam was alongside her. She couldn't imagine how Hunter and Shane would go about finding theirs without arguing and starting a fight every few seconds.

"Cam?" She called out of the blue.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"What happened to you yesterday? I mean, when Zurgane took you. I didn't get the chance to really ask last night and you didn't talk about it, either." Tori said.

"Nothing." Cam said.

"Nothing?"

"Yeah. Nothing significant that I can remember."

"Oh. Okay."

That was weird. Cam was not exactly a social butterfly, but ever since they've become rangers, he has learned to come out of his cocoon and actually open himself up to the team, most especially to her. So it was odd now, that Cam didn't want to talk about something he knows very well he could tell her and entrust her with.

"There's the scroll." Cam exclaimes, bringing Tori out of her thoughts.

And there on the clearing, suspended on air, was the scroll they were looking for. Tori and Cam headed towards it but before they could even get close, Kelzaks started to appear out of nowhere.

"Of course, how could we forget about them?" Tori rolled her eyes.

The water ninja and the samurai went into fighting stance as the drones started to attack them.

Tori disposed her share of Klezaks easily. She turned to look at Cam still fighting some of them. She was about to rush forward and help him but she stopped as something caught her attention.

Cam's fighting style. She never saw Cam move and fight that way – until now. It was definitely not the way of the samurai but his movements spoke of great strength.

He all of a sudden seemed to be stronger, faster and fiercer; like he was some ferocious animal on the loose.

Cam effortlessly kicked four Kelzaks into the air. He caught by the neck the last one who lunged itself to him. The green ranger lifted the Kelzak off the ground, tightening his grip on its neck.

What Tori saw on Cam's face made her blood run cold. Those almond eyes spoke of satisfaction and joy; like the eyes of a vicious predator who had its prey exactly where he wanted it; like that of a vicious predator about to kill its prey. And enjoy it. Immensely.

"Cam stop!" Tori yelled as she ran to her friend's side and put a hand on his arm.

But the raven-haired samurai didn't seem to hear her and held the Kelzak perfectly still, who was now flailing wildly.

"Cam I said stop it!" Tori ordered, her voice a little stronger and louder.

There was some wave of emotion on Cam's face that Tori couldn't recognize before the samurai threw the back-clad drone aside and dematerialized. She looked at Cam again, trying to figure him out but the only thing she saw on his face was complete blankness.

"Let's just get the scroll and meet the others. Okay?" Tori said and Cam just nodded silently.

* * *

"We came, we saw and we kicked butts dude!" Dustin exclaimed as he and Blake joined their teammates.

"So how did it go with you guys?" Blake asked.

"We would've been faster if you're brother wasn't his usual charming self." Shane joked good naturedly.

"Look who's talking." Hunter scoffed.

"What does your scroll says?" Blake asked the red ranger.

"_'At times, competition is a valuable tool in pushing one's self to progress.'_"

Blake chuckled. The scroll's words suited Shane and Hunter quite nicely.

"Dude, as I've always said, we're always better off with a fortune cookie." Dustin opined.

"How about yours and Blake?" Shane asked.

"Well it says here, _'A good ninja is attuned to his surroundings; a great ninja merges as one with his surroundings.' _Told you dude the fortune cookies were way better." Dustin said.

The four of them laughed, not aware of the two people who were both sitting on a rock in complete silence. Until the navy ranger turned to them.

"Hey Tor, what did your scroll say?" Blake asked.

Tori just looked up at him with a confused expresson, "What?"

"The scroll. What did it say?"

"Oh, yeah… the scroll," the blue ranger said as she took it out, and read its contents to them, "_'Sometimes the heart sees things clearer than the eyes.'_"

"Well I could clearly see you Tor." Dustin commented.

A small smile appeared on the water ninja's face, "I don't think that was what the scroll meant, Dustin."

"Now that we got all the scrolls and read its 'words of wisdom', I think we have officially finished ninja training for the day. And I don't know about you guys but I wanna call it a day and get going. Besides, it'll get dark any minute now." Shane said to the group.

"I agree with you dude. I can already hear my bed calling my name." Dustin added.

Shane, Dustin, and Blake said their goodbyes to Cam and started their way home.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Cam." Tori said as she stood up and patted him on the shoulder, "You coming Hunter?"

"No you go ahead. I… have to go back to Ninja Ops and… get some things."

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Tori said and she jogged towards Shane, Dustin and Blake.

"Hey Tor, you okay?" Blake asked when she had caught up with them.

"Yeah. I think so…"

* * *

Their friends were already at a distance when Hunter spoke.

"So, ready for our movie date?" the blonde ninja asked.

"Hunter there's something I need to tell you." Cam said, standing up as his face turnied serious. But before he could continue, Hunter held up a hand.

"If this is about you not wanting to go to the movies, I'd understand. You were obviously not thrilled when I reminded you about it this morning. So it's okay. We can always do something else." Hunter said as he gave Cam his patented lopsided grin.

""It's not about the date."

"Oh... Okay."

There was silence for a moment before the green ranger spoke again. Hunter had a feeling this was not going to be good.

"I'm breaking up with you."

"What?" Hunter asked, or rather, shouted.

"I'm brea-"

"Wait. Wait. I know what this is. You're kidding, right? This is just a joke right? Come one Cam don't mess wit-"

"Didn't you just hear what I said? I am not kidding Hunter. I am breaking up with you."

"What the hell?" the crimson ranger exclaimed incredulously.

Hunter couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this even real? Was Cam really even breaking up with him? Did he really mean that? No. This must be a dream. He shut his eyes, and when he opened them, Cam was still there in front of him and gazing up at him.

"But… why?" Cam looked away. "Come on Cam, I need an explanation and I deserve one." Hunter demanded. Cam just ducked his head, obviously contemplating what to say next.

"What's wrong?" The Hunter stepped closer about to put a hand on the other man's arm, but Cam shoved his hand away and stepped back.

"This is what's wrong!"

"What?"

"You… Me.. Us! This… relationship we have. It's not right anymore."

_'Not right anymore? What the hell?'_

"And since when have you thought about this? Since when did it feel 'not right anymore' Cam? This morning?"

"No… I've been thinking about it... for a while." Cam looked away, avoiding Hunter's pointed glance.

"Yeah. You sure looked like you were thinking about a break up yesterday at the park, with all the kissing and hugging we've been doing." Hunter lashed out.

"Well… That was yesterday. Today's now and I'm telling you this right now. I'm breaking up with you Hunter."

"Damn it Cam! Why are you doing this? What's the matter with you?" Hunter cried, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Can't you see? Being together… Fighting Lothor… Being rangers… This relationship we have can adversely affect our mission to save the students, our academies, the world..."

"That's bullshit and you know it! We have never let our feelings get in the way of our duties as rangers."

"Not yet. I think it would be best if we stop it here. While we still can and while it's still early. And…"

"And?" Hunter asked a little bit harshly.

Black eyes locked to blue.

"I don't want you anymore." Cam said, looking at the thunder ninja straight in the eye, not even flinching once as he uttered every word, "as simple as that."

Hunter fell silent as Cam's word was finally beginning to seep into his consciousness. Why? That was all Hunter could think of. He was certain Cam felt the same way about him. So why was he doing this?

"But… but I thought you were… we were…"

"Well not anymore, at least now I'm sure I'm not."

"Cam…" Hunter gripped Cam's shoulders and looked at him pleadingly.

"Good night Hunter," Cam said, carefully removing Hunter's hands from his shoulders, "Take care on your way home." He said as he turned around and walked away, not looking back once.

Tears started rolling down Hunter's cheeks. He couldn't understand what just happened. The only thing that was clear right now was his heart… and how it was breaking into pieces.

* * *

The suspicion on the blue ranger's eyes was unmistakable.

_'Curse that ninja training.'_ Espiritista thought.

When the Kelzaks attacked them earlier, he couldn't suppress the impulse to fight – like a Zoloft warrior should.

The rush that came over him when he fought and much more when he had his enemies at his command was difficult to ignore; to restrain.

It didn't help that his mission so far hadn't given him the opportunity to fight in the battlefield. Espiritista did not intend to get carried away. But he did anyway. And the blonde ninja saw it – the triumph and ecstasy he felt when he had lifted that Kelzak off the ground, the pleasure of seeing such a petty creature at his mercy.

And he admitted that it was truly a mistake - a mistake that may later have grave repercussions on his mission.

If he wouldn't act fast, he will surely pay its price.

He couldn't afford to fail. Not now. Not when he was almost finished. Not when success was almost an inch away.

He immediately headed towards the main computer once he was inside Ninja Ops. He had finished configuring the wind ranger's zords and he was halfway through the thunder ranger's. He was thankful that there was no crimson ranger snooping around the whole day to cause him any further delay.

He smiled as he thought about the thunder ninja and what had taken place between them a while ago.

The look on Hunter's face was priceless.

He knew he had to think of something to get out of their supposedly date, or else configuring the zords would take another day. And that was not an option. No more delays, he had promised.

He thought of cancelling the date but making it appear that his lover was calling off their relationship was a more appealing thought for Espiritista. That would keep the nosy ranger away from him for good. And it was pure evil. Just the way he likes it.

_'If he only knew.'_

"Anyway, it was a good riddance if I may say." Cam said to the empty den.

Or so he thought.

"Hello Cam."

He bolt right up from his chair and immediately assumed a defensive stance, "Who's there?"

"It is I, my son."

He looked from left to right and saw no one and then his gaze fell on to the table at the center of the room. Standing there was a… guinea pig… in what was unmistakably a ninja master robe.

_'This is… his... father? Well Lothor was not kidding when he said that his brother was a... rodent.'_

"Oh… Father!" Cam said as he relaxed, "You startled me. I… didn't know you were… here already."

_'Father? Since when did Cam take into liking to address him as father?' _Kanoi Watanabe thought.

"How were things around here while I was gone?"

"Well... Not much has happened since you left."

"And your training?"

"It went well. Uh… I'll just go and change my clothes, father."

Kanoi nodded in response and watched as his son retreated back to his room.

_'And what did he mean by good riddance?'_


	7. Exposed

**Author's Note: **

Sorry. This chapter was long in the making. I got transferred to a different department and adjusting to it was hell. Now I know I am cut out to be a psychiatric nurse. I was quite disturbed for the first few weeks and writing, or doing anything un-related to my work, was out of the question. Again sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy this one though. Read and Review.

* * *

Chapter 6

Exposed

By Kenny

* * *

Change.

The only permanent and constant thing in this world.

Having lived for so many years and living a majority of those years as a ninja, Kanoi Watanabe has been accustomed to perceive the changes taking place around him, however big or small those changes were.

Even more so when those changes concerned his son, Cameron.

The wise sensei was in a meditative position at his miniature pagoda, observing his son silently, who, as always, was in front of the main console. To any outsider who would look at this scene inside Ninja Ops, it seemed normal; it seemed like today was just any ordinary Tuesday morning – Cam in front of his computer and Kanoi in his reflective silence.

But then again, you can never fool a ninja master.

Other people would probably miss it but not Kanoi.

The way he walked out of his room and into the kitchenette, the way he greeted good morning, poured his cereal to his bowl, his unusual silence and his more pronounced standoffish disposition - there was something wrong with Cam.

_'No.'_ Kanoi thought. There was nothing wrong with Cam because…

_**'This isn't Cam to begin with.'**_

He was certain of it. His ninja instincts never failed him before, much more his paternal instincts. But however sure he was, there was still this cloud of doubt lurking at the back of his head; there was this part of him that didn't want to believe that the man in front of him was not his son.

Because if this person, or thing, in front of him wasn't Cam… Where was Cam, then? What has happened to him? Was he alright? And who is this posing as his son?

_'It is time I find out the truth.'_

"What are you working on, Cam?" Kanoi asked from his habitat cart.

"Nothing. Just the usual stuff." Cam replied, his eyes glued as ever to the screen.

Kanoi nodded wordlessly.

_'Nothing. Just the usual stuff.'_

Cam never gave him an inadequate answer such as that one. Though he would go on techno-babble at times, he always took the time to explain to Kanoi what he was doing, however mundane it was, and especially when it was obvious that what he was working on was something that had to do with the technologies utilized by the rangers.

The ninja master-turned-guinea pig leaped effortlessly to the table at the center of the room.

Kanoi would usually give anyone the benefit of the doubt but not this time. He has to be straight to the point; he has to be definite whether this man in front of him was really his son or not; he has to know the truth.

And to do that he had to ask that question - the question only the true Cameron Watanabe could answer correctly.

"Cam how was your mother?" Kanoi asked casually.

"What about her?" the samurai asked, his attention still focused on what he was doing, "Is she sick or something?"

Cam never saw, in his life, a guinea pig wearing a very grim expression on its face but had he turned around, he would've been treated to such a sight.

"No… She's actually dead…" his father said matter-of-factly.

Cam stopped typing.

"…For 15 years now."

The whole den fell into an uneasy silence.

"Who are you?"

Cam, or whoever it was or whatever it was, stood up and turned to face the ninja master.

"You know, you really shouldn't have bothered returning, Sensei."

Without any hint of warning, Kanoi barely got in time to dodge an energy beam shot towards him. A series of similar beams were then blasted at him but the agile guinea pig evaded each attack flawlessly.

Cam's impostor growled in frustration at his futile attempts to dispose his, literally, tiny nuisance.

"Why are you stalling the inevitable you damn rodent!" He exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Kanoi asked one more time. But the impostor just laughed in reply.

"I don't think that that's something you have to worry at the moment." He said.

"Where is my son?" Kanoi demanded.

"Gone perhaps?" The impostor said, a playful tone in his voice, "But do not worry Sensei, you shall join him in a short while. Computer, initiate combat mode."

_'Combat Mode?'_

Ninja Ops was not equipped with weaponry from the inside, so to hear a "combat mode" from his enemy greatly surprised Kanoi.

_'Looks like, this person, or thing, did not waste time while I was aw-'_

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted as lasers started firing at him from every direction possible.

Kanoi was so far doing a great job avoiding each one of them. But the lasers seemed to be getting numerous and the space where he moved got smaller by the minute. Things would not bode well if his predicament kept any longer.

Cam smiled, very pleased at the way things were going. The green ranger brought up a hand and aimed it at the struggling guinea pig.

"Goodbye Sensei." Cam said as an ominous and powerful energy blast was unleashed from his hand.

Kanoi saw the latest assault. This time, however, he knew it was too late to avoid the attack. He gathered all the power he could muster to meet head on with his enemy's dark energy and to try to negate it.

Cam's energy and the energy field he put up collided violently. The combined energies engulfed Kanoi's diminutive body and in a quick unfolding of events, the ninja master vanished completely into thin air.

The force he unleashed was supposed to rip the guinea pig's body into pieces until he eventually turned into dust. Not make him disappear.

"Not exactly what I had in mind but that will do." Cam, or rather, Espiritista, stated to the now empty room.

* * *

Blake was by the kitchen counter drinking a cup of coffee on an early Tuesday morning. Very early.

He remembered being too perturbed to hit the sack last night. And when he did finally fell into slumber, Hunter's eyes, unfortunately, haunted him in his dreams causing him to wake up several times through the night.

It was after the fifth or sixth dream that Blake decided to get out of bed and start the day even though the sun hasn't showed up yet. No use lying in bed after all if you're not going to sleep.

The petite Asian teenager sighed and rubbed his eyes.

_'Whatever happened to Hunter and Cam's date last night did not go well, that's for sure.'_

He was watching the evening news when his brother barged in to their apartment. He was surprised because he knew Hunter was supposed to be out and having fun.

"Hunter, what are-" Blake's question was drowned in his throat when his eyes locked to his brother's. The younger Bradley sat there frozen, as Hunter continued his way to his room.

Shining from those blue eyes was something Blake had never seen before. And something he never wanted to see again.

Broken. That's what Hunter's eyes were screaming - Broken.

Blake hastily left the couch and walked towards the older Bradley's room. He banged on the door several times but there was no answer. He even threatened of electrocuting the door, but it was clear that his brother wanted to be alone.

Although reluctant to leave, Blake left and gave Hunter the space he so obviously wanted, making him more worried for his brother.

_'After seeing those eyes, how could you not worry?'_ the navy ranger thought ruefully.

His thoughts were cut short by the beeping sound from his morpher.

"Go for Blake."

"Blake this is Cam."

"Cam, what the hell happened to you and Hunter last night?" Blake spat out.

He didn't mean to ask bluntly what was wrong and he didn't want to come off as prying with other people's businesses. But he's been troubled all night to even care that his question came out a little bit harshly than he intended to.

"Blake..." Cam began, Blake noticed the uneasiness in his teammate's voice, "Now's not really the time... and… I think Hunter should be the one to tell you."

_'Yeah, that is if he ever decides to come out.'_

"Did you fight or something?" Blake couldn't help but ask.

"Blake…"

"Sorry. Can't blame me for asking. "

"Anyway, can the both of you stop by here at Ninja Ops before going to school? This will be really quick. I just need to talk some things over with the team, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, dude. Sure. Gotcha loud and clear." And before he could ask further questions about last night, the communication link went off.

Blake sighed. So that makes the two of them.

Hunter doesn't want to talk and so do Cam.

Luckily for him, he and his brother were living under the same roof and if he wanted to find out what's really wrong, Hunter was the best candidate for that.

Blake stood up and went towards Hunter's room.

He was seriously considering letting his brother skip school today, but it looks like Hunter would have to get out of bed whether he wanted to or not. And it was a good thing he remembered Hunter mentioning yesterday that he had an exam this afternoon.

_'Now he really needs to get out of bed.'_ Blake mused.

The raven-haired ninja stood in front of his brother's room once more and knocked.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still, there was no response from the other side of the door.

"Hunter. C'mon bro, would you please open the door? It's been…" Blake looked at his wrist watch, "almost 10 hours now since you've locked yourself up in your room. We have to go to school. Besides, you have an exam today right? Did you even study for it?"

No response.

_'Thank you to whomever it is on the heavens for that meeting Cam called up.'_

"And Cam called." Blake said, a bit louder than it should have been.

The door was wide open in a split of a second.

"What'd he say?"

It just took one look from Blake to see that the older Bradley didn't sleep very well. _'On the contrary, I think he hasn't slept at all.'_ The navy ranger thought as he noticed the disheveled hair, the blood-shot eyes and the dark circles under Hunter's eyes.

"Said we have to come over at Ops." He finally said, noticing the expectant look on Hunter's face.

"Uh… Ranger-related stuff, bro." He added.

The disappointment on the older Bradley's face was awfully clear.

"Bro, what's up?"

"Nothing." Hunter said, about to close the door, but Blake put a foot through it before his brother could shut out himself again.

"I know there's something wrong. You can deny it all you want Hunter but your eyes last night don't lie and not to mention how terrible you look right now. C'mon bro what's really up?"

Defeated, Hunter left the door and sank right back to his bed.

Blake sighed and pushed the door open. He walked closer to the bed and sat down beside his brother.

"Hunter, I'm your brother, I'm not a psychic. I can't help you if you won't tell me what the problem is."

The crimson ranger sat up and looked at Blake. There was a moment of silence before Hunter spoke.

"Cam broke up with me."

"He what?"

"Last night."

"But that's… Really? I thought… he was head over heels with you? The way you are with him?"

"Thought so too." The bitterness in Hunter's voice was so apparent.

"Hunter…" Blake put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"He loves me Blake. I know it, I can feel it, and I'm sure of it. I just can't understand why…" Hunter looked away from his brother, "…why he'd do such… such a… thing." His voice broke at the last word and tears started to fall from his eyes. It tore Blake from the inside seeing his brother like this.

"C'mere." Blake enveloped Hunter in a crushing hug.

"I'm so confused Blake… I don't know what to do… And it hurts… It hurts so much."

Blake didn't know how he could respond to that. He just hoped hugging his brother tightly and making him understand the silent message that he will always be there for him was enough to ease the pain Hunter was feeling right now.

Outside, the sun ascended brightly, oblivious to one man's breaking heart.


	8. Revealed

**Author's Note:**

First of all I apologize for the very, very long delay (more than 2 months if I counted it correctly). I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of you have already forgotten about this story. But in any case I might as well try and finish it. Consider this my Christmas gift. Hopefully, chapter 8 will be posted before the year ends (or next year). Thank you for those who have read and reviewed the previous chapters. I hope you like this and let me know what you think about this chapter by visiting the comment box before going out. Merry Christmas.

* * *

Chapter 7

Revealed

By Kenny

* * *

"Dude, isn't that kinda dangerous?"

"What's dangerous Dustin?" Cam asked as he turned around from the main console and looked at his teammate with a bewildered expression.

"Walking around the whole day without our morphers. I mean what if Lothor sends out another monster?"

"Dustin, when did you ever see Lothor actually attack the city while the kids of Blue Bay Harbor are at school?"

"Well…" The brunette scratched the back of his head, obviously considering the other guy's question, "Now that I think about it… I think he never did."

"Exactly. Besides, I'll just borrow your morphers for a few hours. I'll be finished encoding the upgrades most probably by noon. You can all streak in here to get them during lunch break."

"But again, what if Lothor attacks and we still don't have our morphers when that happens?" Shane asked this time.

"Then I'll teleport you here so you can get your morphers and we can kick the monster's butt back to Lothor."

Shane, apparently satisfied with the answer, started to unfasten the morpher from his wrist and handed it over to the team's resident tech support. "Be careful with that. Next to my skateboard that's one of the most important things I have."

"And here I thought being a ranger was the most important thing in the world." Cam joked good naturedly while Shane just gave him a wide grin in response.

The other rangers followed their leader and took off their morphers and likewise gave it to Cam. Except for one ranger - Hunter.

Cam hesitantly walked over to where the blonde teenager was.

"Hunter? Hmm… Your morhper?" The raven-haired man asked as he gestured to the gadget on the thunder ninja's wrist.

The taller man just gave him a hard and long look. An uneasy silence fell over the room, but before Dustin could voice out something, Hunter took off his morpher and handed it over to his now ex-boyfriend.

"Thanks." Cam managed to say before going back in front of the main console, the other rangers giving both him and Hunter strange looks.

"Hey Cam, where's Sensei by the way? Wasn't he supposed to be back from his meditation retreat last night? Or was it this morning?" Dustin asked when he noticed the still empty habitat cart inside Ops.

The others probably missed it but not a very observant water ninja. Tori was sure that she saw it again – the same flicker she saw on Cam's face yesterday during their ninja training.

Now that she took the time to really notice and ponder what that expression was, she was certain she saw worry and a little bit of fear emanating from those almond eyes. _"But, what would Cam fear and worry about? Dustin just asked where Sensei was."_ The blue ranger thought. And as fast as it came, that flicker of emotion was masked again.

"I don't know Dustin. He hasn't returned yet. He may have extended his retreat or he may just be running late. Either way I'm sure that his safe and he'll probably be here anytime soon"

"Oh… Okay." The earth ninja said.

"Anyway, we better get going. See you later, Cam." Shane said as he slung his bag to his shoulders and headed for the stairs.

The others gathered their bags and insanely thick text books; bade their goodbyes to Cam; and followed Shane who was already outside waiting for them. Hunter, however, took one last long look at Cam before heading out of Ninja Ops.

* * *

"Crap!"

Everyone turned to see what caused their companion's outburst.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked his brother, his brows furrowing.

"I forgot my history book."

"At home?"

"No at Ops. I think I left it at the table. I'll just go back and get it. If you wanna go ahead it's okay."

"We'll wait for you dude. Just be real quick." Shane said at his friend.

"Yeah as in real quick Hunter. I don't wanna be late for class." Dustin added, while all of them shot him a disbelieving look.

"What?" The brunette finally asked.

"I have yet to see you really go to class before Mr. Desmond enters the room Dustin." Tori said, grinning widely.

"Well, miss fluid-graceful, I have finally decided to come to class on time." Dustin said matter-of-factly at his friend.

"Yeah, right." Shane said as he patted the yellow ranger's shoulders.

Hunter would've joined their early morning banter, but he needed to get his history book. After all he had an exam later this afternoon and he couldn't expect to answer anything without a book to review to.

As he started his way back to Ops, Blake held his arm to stop him. "You want me to go with you?"

Hunter considered his younger brother's question; realizing that he and Cam will be alone when he gets there. Hunter was sure his brother didn't want him to feel awkward and uneasy given the circumstances between him and the samurai. He was very thankful he had a brother who looked out for him at times like this.

But he knew he can handle it. Anyway, he'll just get the book and go out of Ops as fast as he got there.

"No, I think I'll be fine. Thanks, bro."

And the thunder ninja continued his way towards Ninja Ops.

* * *

Finally. He already had the morphers in his hands. One last hurdle and his mission is going to be complete. He took out the communicator Zurgane had given him before they went to earth. He pushed a few buttons and two familiar irritating voices greeted him.

"_Thank you for calling Lothor's ship." _

"_You will be shortly redirected to…"_

"_Get the hell off there Marah, Kapri!"_

"_What? We were just practicing Uncle."_

"_Practicing for what?... Never mind. Just go disturb someone else."_

Espiritista chuckled, "Your nieces are truly a pain in the ass Lothor. I still could not fathom why you put up with them."

"_Tell me about it. So why'd you call? You have good news, I presume?"_

"You bet I do. I finished configuring the zords; I now have their morphers; and I got rid of that pesky guinea pig as a bonus. So far so good."

"_Very good Espiritista. It was truly a right decision choosing you for this mission."_

"So, is there anything you would want to add Loth-"

"What the hell?"

Cam turned around to see a very astonished crimson ranger by the entrance. Hunter quickly assumed a fighting stance.

"_Who's that?"_

"I'll call you back. I have to play with someone." Cam turned off the communicator and slowly stood from his chair to face the blonde ninja; a mischievous smile sprawled in his face, "Why hello there Hunter."

"Shut up! Who the hell are you?" Hunter growled, "And where the hell is Cam?"

The other man just remained silent.

"Answer me!"

The person posing as Cam just cocked his head. And before Hunter could demand again, the impostor was all of a sudden in front of him, about to give him an uppercut. The blonde ninja stepped aside just in time to avoid his opponent's attack. But before he could even recuperate from this latest turn of events, his attacker sent a series of punches and kicks towards him.

Some he was able to block, while some hit him very hard. The punches, the kicks, the strength, the agility - this was certainly not the Cam he knew.

Hunter moved away from the impostor, putting a good distance between them.

"Who are you and what did you do to Cam?"

The impostor just smiled again at him in response.

"Damn it! Answer me!"

"You know what crimson ranger? Your lover should be the last thing on your mind right now. But since you really want to know… He's gone… forever."

"I don't believe you! Where is he?"

Again, another smile was what he got as a response. This infuriated the blonde teenager and he lunged at his enemy fiercely. Every punch and every kick he threw however was effortlessly dodged by Cam's impostor.

He was about to punch him right in the face, but the enemy caught his arm and hurled him hard towards the wall. Before Hunter could stand up and fight back, a strong hand was already gripping around his neck and lifting him up.

"Not bad crimson ranger, not bad at all."

'_No. He can't beat me. I still have to find Cam.'_

Hunter felt the grasp on his neck getting tighter. He struggled to get out of the grip but was unsuccessful.

The impostor laughed. "Don't even bother," he said as he placed his other hand in front of Hunter's face. It started to glow; a powerful energy beam undoubtedly about to be unleashed.

Hunter shut his eyes closed. _'No… Cam…'_

And then there was blackness.


End file.
